China develops and deploys the world’s largest stealth warship to Pakistan
As Beijing and Islamabad continue to boost their military capabilities against regional competitor India, China has given to Pakistan the largest and most modern warship it has ever produced, a frigate with stealth capabilities.
China delivered the largest and most modern warship it has ever built to Pakistan on Monday, a frigate with stealth capabilities, as Beijing and Islamabad continue to boost their military capabilities against regional competitor India.
The warship’s commissioning was reported by Chinese state media, which cited local and Pakistani officials, listed the vessel’s superior capabilities, and stated that the delivery exemplifies Sino-“all-weather Pakistan’s strategic cooperative alliance.”
According to the state-run tabloid Global Times, the PNS Tughril is the first of four Type 054 frigates being built for the Pakistan Navy, and it is “a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air, and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials.”
The frigate was designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC) and delivered to the Pakistan Navy at a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai, according to the newspaper, which cited a CSSC statement made on Monday.
In a previous interview with the Global Times, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Research Academy, said that the new ship has a better air defence capability than previous Chinese frigates because it is equipped with an improved radar system and a larger number of missiles with a longer range.
According to Zhang, the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is China’s most advanced frigate, with world-class stealth capabilities.
The CSSC stated, “The completion and delivery of the vessel is another big success of China-Pakistan friendship, and will further deepen the two countries’ all-weather strategic cooperation collaboration.”
Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi listed the warship buy from China in an interview with Chinese official media earlier this year.
“…the procurement of F-22P frigates, rapid attack boats (missile), helicopters, and a state-of-the-art survey ship has enhanced naval collaboration between the two countries. According to Niazi, the Pakistan Navy has ordered eight Hangor-class submarines, four Type 054A/P ships (one of which was delivered on Monday), and medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aircraft vehicles from China.
“The frigate’s delivery also marks a watershed moment in the expansion of Chinese vessels as products and their competitiveness in the international market,” CSSC added.
Last year, it was revealed that China and Pakistan have improved their jointly produced JF-17 fighter plane. Yang Wei, a Chinese legislator and lead designer of the China-Pakistan co-developed fighter jet, was quoted by state media in 2020 as saying, “The development and manufacture of the JF-17 Block 3 are under way.”
According to the website of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the JF-17, or FC-1, is a single-engine multi-role light fighter jet jointly developed by China and Pakistan for sale.
